Washington, D.C. - Ray Schoenke, the President of the American Hunters and Shooters Association (AHSA), delivered a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder urging him to reconsider his comments about renewing the federal assault weapons ban.

Schoenke, who campaigned in key battleground states for Barack Obama last fall told Holder:

“Based on your comments today, it appears that the Obama administration may attempt to reinstate [the federal assault weapons] ban. As President of AHSA, I encourage you to negate that effort. The assault weapons ban is an issue of personal freedom, that deeply concerns America’s hunting, shooting, and sporting community. And even greater than the politics, the issue is bad policy.

Most importantly, the law had no measurable effect on crime reduction. Instead, the law demonized lawful gun owners and became a lightning rod for a decade long public debate over gun crime that merely served to divert time and resources from our already over-burdened law enforcement agencies. Frankly, it has been an unnecessary distraction. Gun owners support efforts to keep our communities safe. We just want those policies directed at the root cause of crime and violence and not just symbolism, which is how the Washington Post accurately described the ban back in 1994.”

After sending the letter, Schoenke stated, “The Obama administration shouldn’t be distracted from handling the important economic issues currently facing our country. This type of legislation will only disillusion the millions of law-abiding gun owners who voted for Barack Obama, believing that he did indeed support their right to own firearms.”